The goal of this interventional study is to evaluate two strategies for how to provide intravenous (IV) fluids for treating patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) in cirrhosis. The main question it aims to answer is: what is the safety, efficacy, and feasibility of providing a recommendation to use a Volume Assessment Guidance Algorithm (VAGA) or give standard of care doses of IV albumin? Patients will be randomly assigned where their treating teams will receive a VAGA-based recommendation or a standard of care IV albumin recommendation.
This randomized, open-label, pilot feasibility trial will assess a volume assessment guidance algorithm (VAGA) in patients with AKI and cirrhosis. Eligible patients must have AKI and decompensated cirrhosis. In addition to assessing the adherence to the suggested guidance, this study will measure the effect of the study intervention on grams of albumin given, clinical efficacy outcomes (AKI response rates, survival, RRT status, transplant status), and safety. Patients who meet eligibility criteria will be randomized 1:1 where the treating clinicians will receive a one-time recommendation for volume resuscitation using the VAGA or standard of care IV albumin repletion (1 g/kg/day for two days). Both groups will be followed with assessments at 48 hours after randomization, hospital discharge, and 90-days after randomization. The primary efficacy outcome, grams of albumin, will be measured at 48 hours after randomization. Primary secondary efficacy outcomes (grams of albumin, AKI response) will be assessed at time of hospital discharge. If a patient undergoes liver transplantation or initiation of RRT during the admission, this will serve as a censoring date for these outcomes, and relevant data will be collected at the time of the first of these events. The primary feasibility outcome is adherence to the suggested guidance, assessed at 48 hours after randomization. The VAGA group will receive one of three potential clinical recommendations: (a) no further volume resuscitation, (b) resuscitation with crystalloid, or (c) resuscitation with colloid. This study will prospectively enroll approximately 50 adult patients at a single center.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
50
Treatment teams are encouraged not to administer any additional fluids
Treatment teams are encouraged to administer crystalloid. Amount of resuscitative fluid will be determined by treatment team's clinical assessments and usual standards of care
Treatment teams are encouraged to administer colloid. Amount of resuscitative fluid will be determined by treatment team's clinical assessments and usual standards of care
Treatment teams are encouraged to administer 1 g/kg/d IV albumin (maximum 100 g/day) over 2 days
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
RECRUITINGIV albumin received (grams)
Time frame: From date of randomization up to 48 hours
Adherence to suggested guidance
For the VAGA group, adherence is defined as: No further resuscitation (\<500 mL total volume of IV fluid given), Resuscitation with crystalloid (\>500 mL total IV fluid given, with \<50 g IV albumin and ≤2 units blood), Resuscitation with colloid (≥50 g IV albumin or ≥2 units blood given). For the Standard of Care group, adherence is defined as receiving within 20% of the suggested IV albumin dose in grams.
Time frame: From date of randomization up to 48 hours
Incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events and serious adverse events
Time frame: From date of randomization up to hospital discharge, assessed up to 90 days
IV albumin received (grams)
Time frame: From date of hospital admission up to hospital discharge, or the date of time of initiation of renal replacement therapy or liver transplant, whichever came first, assessed up to 90 days.
AKI Response
AKI response is defined as complete response (return of serum creatinine to a value within 0.3 mg/dL of the baseline value), partial response (regression of AKI stage with a reduction of serum creatinine (SCr) to ≥0.3 mg/dl above the baseline value), or no response (neither complete or partial response met).
Time frame: From date of randomization up to hospital discharge, or the date of time of initiation of renal replacement therapy or liver transplant, whichever came first, assessed up to 90 days.
Vital Status
Alive or dead
Time frame: From date of randomization up to 90 days
Renal Replacement Therapy Initiation
Yes or No
Time frame: From date of randomization up to 90 days
Liver transplant
Yes or No
Time frame: From date of randomization up to 90 days
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